Recessed lighting fixture



Oct. 16, 1962 c. M. MOSER 3,059,106

RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 11, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4/ 42 INVENTOR.

CA 284 N- NOSE)? BY )E/Cf/EY, MSIVEN/VVJFARE/NGTON ATTORNEYS Oct. 16, 1962 c. M. MOSER RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 11, 1958 CA 78L IV- NOSE)? R l CHE Y, MSIVEMWQ FARR/Nam ATTORNEYS 3,059,106 RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE Carl M. Moser, Parma Heights, Ohio, assignor to John C. Vii-den Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of his Filed Sept. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 760,389 3 Claims. (Cl. 240-78) This invention relates to recessed fighting fixtures of the type having a housing or enclosure formed for recessed mounting in a ceiling or in a wall, the enclosure having side and bottom walls and an open bottom, with a reflector, lens mounting bracket and lens assembly supported by the housing.

It is a feature of this invention that the lens and mounting bracket assembly can be opened or partially separated from the enclosure by simply pulling downwardly or outwardly on the bracket with which access to the bulb is provided, yet the bracket and lens assembly remains suspended from the enclosure and no safety chain or the like is needed.

More specifically, the lens and mounting bracket assembly mounting has a snap action and the assembly will remain in one of two positions. In the closed position the assembly is resiliently retained and urged toward the fixed parts, whereas in the open or access position the assembly remains in its displaced position without attention while the bulb is being changed, and if desired, the reflector can also be removed for cleaning, etc., without interference by the assembly mounting parts.

This is accomplished automatically by a novel mounting for the lens and bracket assembly that includes a pair of overcenter or toggle type springs fitted to opposed Walls of the enclosure, these springs being readily attached and detached if desired in the preferred embodiment of the invention. Attached to each spring is a strap, the outer or free end of which connects to the lens mounting bracket, and the attachment is pivotal so that the lens and bracket assembly can be tilted for convenient access to the interior of the enclosure. The mounting of this invention is simple, economical to manufacture and install, and is foolproof. Also, in the fixture of this invention there need be no manipulation of screws or other fasteners, nor need access be provided to the interior of the fixture for freeing a latch or other fastening device.

The fixture of this invention preferably includes a heatisolated internal junction box as disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of Harry U. Schockett et al., Serial No. 685,751, filed September 23, 1957, and assigned to the John C. Virden Company. Details of the internal junction box and fixture combination are not claimed in this application, but are related to another feature of this invention, namely the reflector mounting. As pointed out in the aforesaid pending application, it is important that the conductive heat path from the reflector to the enclosure be ineflicient. In accordance with this invention this is accomplished by a detachable reflector mounting that provides virtually point contact with the enclosure parts which is accomplished by mounting the apex of the reflector on an upstanding bracket extending from the top wall of the enclosure, the mounting being formed after the fashion of a snap type fastening such as that used for automobile tops and boots. Thus the reflector can be snapped in and out of place and when in place only a very small heat conductive path is presented, this being very desirable when the junction box is internal of the fixture. It will be noted that because of the snap action mounting at the apex of the reflector the bracket mounting straps do not interfere with the reflector mounting means.

The manner by which these features and advantages 3,959,105 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 may be obtained will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fixture embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the fixture taken along the lens bracket mountings;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on 3-3 of FIG. 2 with the reflector removed for clarity of illustration of the lens and bracket assembly mounting and with the internal junction box partially broken away;

FIG. 4 is a section through the reflector mounting taken on 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section through the bracket mounting spring attachment taken on 55 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the outer or free end of a mounting strap for the bracket.

Referring to the drawings, the fixture includes a sheet metal housing or enclosure 10 having side walls 11, 12, 13 and 14 and a top or end wall 15. Mounted within the enclosure is a lamp receptacle 16 attached to the bracket 17 fixed to the wall of the enclosure. Wires 19 and 20 lead from the receptacle into a partition or internal junction box 21 in accordance with the afore said pending application. Here they are connected to the house wires 25 and 26 in the usual manner. A plurality of knockouts 27 is provided in the walls of the fixture at the junction box and a conduit mounting member 28 is attached at a convenient knockout opening.

Fitted within the enclosure is a reflector 29 having edges extending adjacent to the mouth or opening in the enclosure. The reflector flares inward of its edges and includes a parabolic portion 30 terminating at the apex of the reflector. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the reflector is mounted at its apex by means of a snap fitting. In the form shown, this fitting includes a flexible snap ring 31 riveted in a recess 32 formed at the apex of the reflector by means of rivet 33. There is an opening 34 in the reflector to receive the receptacle. The receptacle mounting bracket has an upstanding portion or extension 35 terminating in a flange portion 36 into which is threaded the male part 37 of the snap attachment. This construction provides virtually a point heat conductive path between the reflector and the enclosure. The enclosure is mounted in a ceiling or wall by means of two or more tangs 3-8 that engage the inner surface of the wall or ceiling 39.

The enclosure is closed by a bracket and lens assembly. The bracket 41 surrounds the open end of the enclosure and provides support for the lens 42, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The bracket has an outer lip 43 making a neat, flush contact with the wall. The bracket is formed with a mounting flange 44 that telescopes within the open end of the enclosure.

In order to mount the lens and bracket assembly for snap-action opening and closing as previously described, a pair of keyhole slots 46 having enlarged parts 46a is formed in each of the two opposed wall portions of the enclosure, such as walls 12 and 14 in the construction illustrated. To each wall is fitted a detachable over-center or toggle leaf spring 47 of semi-elliptical shape. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, rivets 48 are fixed to the ends of each spring, the rivet heads being so formed as to pass through enlarged portions 46a of the keyhole slot 46 for assembly and removal of the spring, but be retained by the narrow portion of slot 46. The unflexed length of the spring is such as to spread the rivet heads one from the other thereby retaining the spring in place.

In order to mount the bracket and lens assembly on the springs relatively thin straps 49 are attached at their inner ends to the mid-portions of the associated springs which attachment, as seen at 51 in FIG. 2, can be made by simply bending the inner end of the strap around the spring. The outer or free ends of each strap has a reversely bent 'clip portion 52, best seen in FIG. 6, which clip portions snap into pivot apertures 53 formed in flange 44 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. An aperture 53 formed in flange 44 of the bracket is also clearly shown in the lower portion of FIG. 1. The straps 49, being thin, pass between the edges of the reflector and the associated walls of the enclosure and since the reflector is mounted at its apex, the straps and springs connected thereto do not interfere with the reflector mounting, nor does the reflector mounting interfere with the function of the straps and springs. Since the springs are normally longer than the spacing of the keyhole slots 46, as seen in FIG. 3, when the lens and bracket assembly is closed, as shown in solid lines in that figure, the springs 47 resist opening or outward motion of the bracket and lens assembly so that the latter assembly is resiliently urged and maintained in its closed position. However, should access to the enclosure be required for replacement of .a lamp or removal of the reflector, or both, it is only necessary to grasp the assembly and pull it outwardly or downwardly. When this occurs the straps 49 exert a buckling force on the mid-portion of spring 47 so that the reflector moves away from the enclosure, but up to a certain point the springs resist such motion. At about the mid-range of outward motion permitted by the mounting assembly a toggle or over-center action occurs and the springs then tend to bow in the opposite direction indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 3. This maintains the bracket and lens assembly in its open or access position for the purposes described. Because of the pivotal mounting of flange 44 of the bracket on the ends 52 of the straps 49 the assembly can also be tilted after opening thereof as further illustrated in dot-dash lines of FIG. 3. This gives additional clearance for manipulating the lamp and reflector as required. When it is desired to re-close the fixture the bracket and lens assembly are merely pushed towards the wall 15 with which the reverse snap or toggle .action occurs and springs 47 snap the assembly into its closed position and retain it there.

It will be noted that no tools are required for the opening and closing operation, nor need the lens be shifted for access to any latch mechanism within the enclosure. The straps 49 slide freely past the edges of the reflector and these edges may be spaced from the walls of the enclosure to minimize conduction of heat from the reflector to the enclosure. The springs 47 can be quickly replaced if required and if it is desired to remove the lens 42 for cleaning the clip ends 52 of straps 49. may be snapped clear of the flange 44 on the lens mounting bracket. Although a preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated, it will be realized that various modifications of the structural details may be made without departing from the mode of operation and the essence of the invention. Therefore, except as insofar as they are claimed in the appended claims, structural details may be varied widely without modifying the mode of operation. Accordingly, the appended claims and not the aforesaid detailed description are determinative of the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A recessed lighting fixture comprising an enclosure having side wall portions, a top wall, and an open bottom, a lens mounting bracket at said open bottom, means mounting said bracket on said enclosure comprising a pair of semi-elliptical over-center leaf springs, means mounting the ends of the springs on opposite wall portions of said enclosure, said mounting means including a keyhole slot for the end of each spring with the enlarged portions of the slots disposed toward the mid-plane of the spring, and fastenings attached to the ends of each spring, each fastening having .a head insertable through said enlarged portion of a slot and a body slidable through the narrower portion of a slot, strap means attached substantially at the mid-portions of said springs and extending toward said open bottom, and means mounting the free ends of said strap means on said lens mounting bracket.

2. A recessed lighting fixture comprising an enclosure having side wall portions and a top Wall, said enclosure having an open bottom forming an edge, a concave reflector in said enclosure extending substantially to said edge, the body of said reflector flaring inwardly from said edge toward its apex and being spaced from said side wall portions and from said top wall, a bracket extending from one wall of said enclosureto the apex of said reflector, co-acting snap fastener elements carried on the apex of said reflector and said bracket, a lens mounting bracket at said open bottom, means mounting said lens mounting bracket on said enclosure comprising a pair of over-center leaf springs on opposite walls of the enclosure, thin straps connected at one end to said springs and at the other end to said lens mounting bracket, said straps sliding freely between the associated enclosure walls and the edges of said reflector.

3. A recessed lighting fixture'comprising an enclosure having side wall portions, a top wall, and an open bottom, a lens mounting bracket at said open bottom, means mounting said bracket on said enclosure comprising a strap mounted on each of an opposed pair of sides of said lens mounting bracket, said straps extending upwards toward said top wall, a flat leaf spring mounted at points on each of an opposed pair of side wall portions, an attachment connecting the ends of each spring to the side wall with the plane of the spring substantially perpendicular to said side wall, the distance between the points of attachment being less than the length of the spring between mounting points, each of saidstraps being attached at the upper end substantially at the mid portion of one of said springs, each of said leaf springs being positioned to resist flexing out of an associated plane defined by said spring mounting points and the lower end of the associated strap, each of said straps being movable at its lower end along its associated plane in a direction extending laterally of said enclosure when the mid-point of each spring is on the side of its attachment toward said bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,453,075 Leidy Apr. 124, 1923 2,330,935 Tuck Oct. 5, 1943 2,639,368 Pryne May 19, 1953 2,682,423 Ashworth June 29, 1954 2,732,162 McKinley Ian. 24, 1956 2,767,307 McGinty et al Oct. 16, 1956 2,802,096 Isler Aug. 6, 1957 2,806,726 Broberg Sept. 17, 1957 2,869,908 Ford Jan. 20, 1959 2,899,542 De Mauro Aug. 11, 1959 

